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Tom Morello labels Edward Snowden a 'hero'

Rage Against The Machine rocker Tom Morello has branded fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden a "hero" and offered to fund his flight to freedom in Ecuador.

The former technical contractor and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) worker has been on the run and in hiding since he was fingered as the man who leaked information on mass surveillance operations undertaken by the US and UK governments on their own citizens.

Snowden's whereabouts have been unknown since he fled Hong Kong on Sunday but he is believed to be attempting to travel to Ecuador, South America where he has applied for asylum - and now Morello has offered to pay for the trip.

The 'Killing in the Name' hitmaker reveals he was left furious after receiving an email from campaign workers for US President Barack Obama asking for cash at the height of the 'spying' scandal.

He tells TMZ.com, "I think he should live a happy life in Ecuador. That's what I think. I think he's a hero. He exposed the crimes of the government. We're all being spied on all the time by the Obama administration. If anybody deserves to be in jail, it's not Snowden.

"Today I got an email from the Obama campaign asking for money, after they have been spying on me and their drones have been killing civilians. So I decided I'm going to take whatever amount of money that I might have donated - which would have been not that much - and I'm going to donate to whatever airplane flight is going to get Snowden to Ecuador, whatever fund that is. I'd be happy to (do that)."